Audi has a long and rather complicated history, long before the e-tron was around. To go into full detail on the origins of the company it would require me to write a thesis rather than a blog post. What’s the fun in that?
Although the modern incarnation of Audi can be traced back to the 1960’s, the true origins of the company can be found as far back as the late 19th century. That’s a pretty darn long time ago.
Audi in the Electric Car Age
Audi has gone all in with the electric car revolution. Two of the German manufacturer’s cars can be found amongst the EVision fleet. These being the Audi e-tron 55 Quattro and the Audi e-tron Q4 (also known as the Audi Q4 e-tron).
What is it about these cars that makes them so special? What is the difference between the models and what can you expect when you hire an Audi e-tron from EVision? Hopefully these questions will all be answered here. Let’s get started.
Bursting Onto the EV Scene
The Audi e-tron 55 Quattro first rolled off the production lines in 2019 after being unveiled in 2018. A lot was on the line for the manufacturer. It was their first foray into the world of electric automobiles at a time when there were still very few legacy manufacturers making EVs. How would the new Audi make be received? Audi had a reputation to protect.
Well, all is well in the world of Audi. The reputation is intact and planet earth welcomed another fantastic electric car to the fold. Quintessentially Audi, the 55 Quattro is a supremely well built car that exudes class and luxury at the level to which Audi fans expect.
As well as being nice to look at, both inside and out, the 55 Quattro also has some great specs that are equally as solid as the car itself. You can expect a real world range of around 249 miles, a top speed of 124mph (but, of course, you need to stick to the speed limit wherever you are). The acceleration is a seriously impressive 0-60 in just 5.7 seconds.
You can still see the Audi 55 Quattro for sale. However, following a complete rebrand, the latest version of the car is called the Q8. It seems that the Q designation will be a feature for Audi electric cars over the next few years. It certainly makes things a little easier.
Bringing in the Second Generation
When you follow up a really good car, you need something pretty special to wow the crowds. Luckily for us, this is not Audi’s first rodeo. Releasing the Audi e-tron Q4 was the perfect way of providing a great sequel to the blockbusting original. This is ‘The Empire Strikes Back’ to the 55 Quattro’s ‘A New Hope’, for those who know their Star Wars analogies.
The first one was mind blowing. Audi’s next release was something else (in a very good way). Another luxury electric vehicle that was destined to bring the fans in. The Star Wars analogy is perhaps quite fitting when you look at the dashboard. From the infotainment screen to the impressive display design language along the front of the cabin, it all seems quite space age and next level. This is definitely a good thing by the way. Although looking pretty next-gen, it isn’t over cluttered. There is a nice mix of on-screen commands and buttons where you need them. Nice.
The Audi e-tron Q4 is smaller than the 55 Quattro and it has a smaller battery. However, the performance statistics are still pretty gosh darn good. A real world range of around 250 miles awaits the lucky driver of this vehicle, so no limits to the adventures to be had. There is a top speed of 111mph and you can achieve 0-60 in as little as 6.2 seconds. Not too shabby at all.
Final Thoughts
Audi has done exactly what they do best. They have made brilliantly popular cars that are solidly built, great to look at and perform like champions. These cars also just happen to be electric.
We cannot wait to see what Audi comes up with next. They were ahead of the vast majority of the legacy manufacturers and they set the bar pretty high. Was going into the EV world ever really a gamble for Audi? I don’t think so. You don’t exist as an automotive company for well over 100 years without picking things up along the way.
Well done Audi. So… what’s next?.
